


Smoke Signal

by we_girls



Series: However Brief... [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Ba Sing Se, Bi Jet, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Jet (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Jet (Avatar) Redemption, Jet-centric, Jetko, One-Sided Attraction, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), ace zuko, angry boys work through their trauma together, asexual zuko, jet doesn't see the tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27665341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/we_girls/pseuds/we_girls
Summary: Jet is angry and guilt-ridden, lost in an unwelcoming world with only Smellerbee and Longshot by his side. On the ferry to Ba Sing Se, he meets Li - burned Li who reeks of fire and just as much anger as him.AU where Jet never sees Iroh heat his tea.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Jet & Zuko (Avatar), Jet/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: However Brief... [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2098749
Comments: 61
Kudos: 192
Collections: Platonic Ship Fics of AtLA





	1. World on Fire

**Author's Note:**

> This has no schedule and I will frequently come back to update chapters but I hope you enjoy :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0MCJuqKxjGKKyXGoMI3tWz

There was no way Li wasn’t Fire. From the way the other refugees and travelers on the ferry edged away from him, Jet wasn’t the only one to notice. Just the only one to be aware of the implications. He slid closer. Yes, he was fire with his pale skin, dark hair, and sunlit eyes. The eyes of golden licks of flames, the eyes of the long-dead dragons. He burned and was burned, judging by the scarred, mottled flesh that covered the left half of his face and the stub of his ear. So, he wasn’t fire in any way that made Jet incapable of trying to pull him in; he was burnt where it counted.

He was hurt. Jet could do hurt. He excelled in it.

So, after distributing the last of the food to the refugees and settling down a reasonable distance from one another, it was with a clear mind that Jet decided Li was now going to be one of his. Sure, Li had his uncle. But even the cheerful old man wouldn’t be able to protect him from everything. Just look at Li’s face. Where had he been when that had happened? Had he just watched? Probably. Most likely. Adults were useless when it mattered.

Across from him, Longshot cast his eyes towards Li and raised a brow. Smellerbee cocked her head. Jet grinned at them both and nodded. Yes, if he had anything to say about it, they’d be getting another member to join the few remaining Freedom Fighters, soon.

He observed Li’s tense posture and the way he simultaneously leaned towards and away from Mushi, holding himself together tightly. It would be difficult, Jet mused. Then he grinned again around his wheat stalk and threw the smile at Li, who stiffened in startlement as though it was a knife instead. He liked a challenge.

_______________

He expected a challenge, not to be outright rejected. Li hadn’t even hesitated! Jet had finally coaxed him away from his uncle with low-spoken stories about the Freedom Fighters and the justice they'd brought, while waiting for the damn train. The dimly lit caverns had done nothing to cover up Li's out-of-place appearance. Neither had the glowing green crystals. He stood like a single spark would set him off. Then, he’d looked Jet in the eyes and said a single, firm, “No”.

“'I have my uncle,’ he said," Jet recounted unhappily. 

Smellerbee snickered. “He doesn’t want you, Jet.” It was mere minutes later and they were all aboard the train on the way to the slums of Ba Sing Se. Li, with Mushi, sat far enough to not overheard their conversation but close enough to taunt Jet with his profile.

“Shut up, Bee.”

“Or what? Ya gonna bat your puppy dog eyes at me, like you’re doing to Li?”

Jet fluttered his lashes in response. “You know how effective they are. Right, Long?”

Longshot tilted his hat towards them and Smellerbee burst out laughing. This was nice. Laughter was good. There hadn’t been much laughter or room for happiness those first few weeks after they’d left the forest. It had been cold, and conversation had been stilted between all of them, only the barest hint of communication when dishing out rations and avoiding patrols. Jet had barely spoken. Only when spoken to, prompted by Bee or Long. It had been hard. Sometimes it was still hard. Sometimes Katara’s furious, despair-ridden face would flash in his mind and his own anger would rise alongside guilt.

“Jet?”

He blinked. Smellerbee nudged him and gestured ahead.

Li was looking back at him.

_______________

Jet didn’t get another chance to talk to Li before being bustled off to their temporary housing. The Freedom Fighters went one way and Li went the other. He made note, though, of which streets the two had headed down. Tomorrow, while job hunting, he’d look around.

That night they slept easily despite the continually restless city bustling around their tiny, one room apartment. They drew blades of grass from outside for who shared the bed. Jet had drawn the longest but took one look at Smellerbee’s exhausted slump and the downcast of Longshot’s hat and subtly - quickly ripped his in half.

“Look’s like I got the floor tonight. Don’t you two get up to anything, now.” Smellerbee snorted with disgust. Longshot straightened up and looked Jet in the eyes. “Okay, okay. I was just joking.” The other two collapsed onto the bed and he settled onto the floor, back against the wall opposite of the door.

The light blew out.

_______________

Jet didn’t bother changing his position during the night and Smellerbee made sure to voice her disapproval.

“Did you keep watch all night, Jet?” At his half-shrug, she grunted in exasperation. “You know we’re safe here, right? There’s no need to keep watch anymore.”

“You never know, Bee.”

She gave him a pitying look that he quickly turned his back on. He didn’t need pity. He didn’t want it. There was nothing to pity. They needed to keep watch, no matter where they were. Even the so-called safest city with its wall. As if a wall can’t fall. As if they haven’t time and time again.

They all quickly parted ways after breakfast to look for jobs. Jet headed in the direction he'd seen Li and Mushi go the night before, keeping an out for either of their distinctive forms. The city was both open and constricting, blue sky available everywhere but the ground was crowded with the bustle of the residents. And there was so much green. Jet had lived almost half his life in a forest, but at least the canopy changed with the seasons. 

Here, the roofs were green, the trimmings green, the carts green, the residents dressed up and down in green. He pinched the bridge of his nose and carried on. The other residents looked at him funny. He would've liked to say it was ‘cause of his good looks, but he knew it was probably because of his swords hanging from either side of his belt. As if he’d go without them. Danger could be anywhere.

Just in time to prove his point, something stalked the edge of his vision. He turned quickly, hands sneaking to the hilts of his blades. He let out a breath of relief. It was Li, slinking along the edge of the street. Jet watched as the boy paused before a café and then stepped in.

He grinned.


	2. Skin and Bones

Jet leaned as casually as he could next to one of the windows of the café and watched Li approach the counter, where Mushi was waiting. Another man, seemingly the owner of the dingy place, gestured them into the back. He looked out at the street. Dirty browns and soiled greens littered everywhere. The Lower ring was not a place of beauty. It was dirty and crowded. Haggard refugees scarred by the horrors of the war mixed in with equally haggard lower class citizens who were ruined by their economic standing. It was disgusting. He bit down hard on his stalk of wheat.

Movement inside distracted him. It was Li, being pushed out from the back room with an apron haphazardly tied around his waist and a baffled look on his face. He was clutching a notebook. Jet snickered. This boy had no idea what he was doing. On the boat he had spoken with an upper class accent. One that said he was more used to dishes being taken away, rather than cleaning them himself. This was gonna be hilarious. Li hovered next to the counter for a full minute before his uncle poked a head out and shooed him away.

Jet slipped into the café that was, thankfully for Li, mostly empty. Only one other person was in there. The place must not have a good reputation. He sat at the table closest to the register and waited with a tapping foot for Li to finish up the awkward, abrupt exchange and deliver the order to the back. He finally noticed him when he got back. Li’s face relaxed a little bit before twisting into something like annoyance. He stomped over.

“I thought I said I wasn’t joining your little group.”

Jet grinned, “Relax, Li. I’m just here for some tea.”

Li raised a brow, “You have money?”

He jingled what he had. A little from stealing from undeserving merchants on the road, a little from the small amount given to each group of refugees when they entered Ba Sing Se.

“Should you really be using that on shitty tea?”

He held a mocking hand to his chest, “Such language!”

Li snorted. “What do you want?”

‘ _You’_ , he thought, and then flushed. Not in that way. Although Li was handsome in the classic sense with dark hair and pale skin, all angles, and edges. Still, not like that. He wanted to be near Li, to fight by his side, and to run through the night together. Like how it had been before, with his Freedom Fighters. Before they abandoned him.

“I’ll – uh – I’ll have a ginseng.”

Li nodded tersely, told him the amount, and headed to the back. It was then, that Jet got an idea. He stood up quickly and followed Li, slipping through the door before it could close. The back was small, just enough room to make the tea and do dishes. Mushi stood in one corner, Li by his side. A small door led to what he assumed was the owner’s office. He strode for it, catching the two’s attention.

“What the hell –“

“Hello, young Jet –“

He knocked. A thin man with a pinched expression opened up. He grinned, “Are you hiring?”

The man studied him and sniffed. “That depends. Are you a refugee?”

“Yes, sir. Here’s my paperwork.”

Typical. The government had a kind of deal going with local businesses. Hire a refugee and get a small sum. It was effective in boosting the economy and making sure refugees could make a living but there were money grubbers like this guy who’re interested in hiring _only_ refugees to make a profit. 

The man handed back his papers. “You’re hired. You can start tomorrow. Be here at seven.” He paused. Looked at Jet with judging eyes. “And leave the swords behind.”

It was – very hard, to not pull said swords on the man.

_______________

The man’s name turned out to be Pao. The teashop’s name was _Pao’s Teashop_. Originality does not appear to run rampant in Ba Sing Se.

Jet went home with a job, something that only surprised Smellerbee and Longshot in the fact that it was someplace as peaceful as a teashop. He arrived the next morning at seven and spent the next six hours with only Pao for company until Li and his uncle showed up at one. Once there, they immediately got to work with Mushi in the back and Li in the front with Jet.

It was … interesting to say the least. Li was a hard worker, but he didn’t have a single bone in his body dedicated to menial manual labor. He held himself with a stiff posture and an unsmiling face. He did have the occasional people, girls and boys, who were taken in by his scar and off-putting, “bad boy” personality but they were few. Jet, himself, managed to charm a good number of people. But watching Li interact with customers was just … painful.

“For the last time, I want a cold jasmine tea without any jasmine!”

Li gripped the notepad with enough force to bend it. “So, you want a water?”

“No! Are you deaf?”

“Yes, actually, I am!” He gestured towards his scar, “In one ear. Thanks for noticing.”

The woman paled and hunched down under the glares of the other patrons.

“Just one water?”

“Um, yes, please. Thank you.”

Li walked away and Jet’s eyes followed his tense back. Then, he turned back to his own customer and grinned, “What can I get for you?”

_______________

At the end of his shift, he sat down for a cup of tea.

“Really?” Li said. “Why would you want to stay here any longer?”

“For your charming company, obviously.”

Li scoffed and took his order. When he came back with the tea, Jet pulled him down for a chat. “There’s no one else here, anyway,” he reassured. “So, what do you say about switching shifts? I’m not much of a morning person.”

Li narrowed his eyes. “That’s all you want. Nothing else?”

He blinked innocently, “What else could I possibly want, Li?”

Li flinched at his name. “Fine. I rise with the sun anyway.” He got up to go.

“A weird way of saying you’re a morning person but okay.”

“Shut up.”


	3. Unwelcoming

It took only a week for Jet to spill about his past. He didn’t go into full detail when talking about the Avatar. No names or anything. Just ambiguous pronouns and a whole lot of bitterness.

“I thought that death would be better than occupation. I thought the people would be grateful.” He laughed bitterly. “Instead, they ended up helping each other, the villagers and soldiers. I watched from the forest later that night. Firebenders lighting campfires and villagers dressing wounds of soldiers who didn’t quite get out in time.”

He looked up at Li, who was staring back in horror, mouth open slightly. Jet belatedly remembered that Li had some fire in him, too.

“You-you flooded the entire village?” Jet looked away and went back to washing dishes. “How could you even think such a thing? Those soldiers have _families_ , some probably in the village.”

Anger flashed through him. Why was Li focusing on the soldiers? If he had to be horrified, why not about the villagers who lost their homes and the ones who, undoubtedly, lost their lives in the flood? He wasn’t even focusing on _him_ , for being lost enough to do such a thing. He slammed the last dish onto the counter, wincing slightly at the noise it made.

“I had a family, too.”

_______________

There was only one table full when he went out to the front, closest to the back. A group of guards on their break. He slapped on a smile and took their orders. At the same time he headed towards the back, Li came out. Jet gave him a tense nod and tried skirting around him, but Li grabbed his arm.

“Look, I’m- I’m sorry, okay?” He gritted out. It honestly looked painful for him.

He raised a brow and dryly asked, “What for?”

Li chewed his lip. “I don’t know! Uncle says I should’ve been more…sensitive.”

“You’re really bad at this, you know.” He slipped out of his grasp and handed the orders off to Mushi, who thanked him with a sympathetic smile. When he went back out front, they dithered in awkward silence for a couple minutes.

“I’m sorry about your family.”

He blinked. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not.” Jet looked at him questioningly. “Nobody-nobody should have to go through losing their family. Especially in a war-“

“Hey!” They jerked towards the table of guards who had gone silent. “You new to Ba Sing Se?”

They glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes and nodded in sync.

“Then here’s a rule for you: There is no war in Ba Sing Se.”

Something cold slid down his spine. “What’re you talking about?”

The guard sighed. “Just trust me, kid. Don’t go talking about any war anywhere someone can hear you.”

Li was silent, frozen by his side.

“The war that’s been going on for a hundred years? Between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world? The one that’s ruined and taken countless lives?”

“There is no war,” the guard said firmly, looking tired.

“No war my ass! You think my entire village just set itself on fire!?”

A sharp intake of breath from beside him.

“I’m sorry, kid. Just trust me. Whatever you may believe, don’t go saying it aloud. The Dai Li will get you if you do.”

“The Dai Li?” Li spoke up.

“The elite police force of the city. They capture and take away anyone who they believe could threaten the peace of Ba Sing Se.”

Images flashed through Jet’s head of his mother, holding his hand in the warm afternoon. Of his father, finally letting him touch his hooked swords, the only thing that would remain with him to this day, and the elation he felt. Of the round bulge of his mother’s stomach where a sibling rested, due in a matter of months. They didn’t have months. His sibling didn’t even get to breath the fresh air or see the sky. Only the warmth of their mother’s womb and the burning of the flames.

Unbidden, tears flashed in his eyes and he bared his teeth. However, before he could do anything, Li grabbed his arm and shook his head. He jerked away and went to the back, ripped off his apron and slammed it onto the counter.

“Young Jet, are you okay?”

“I’m taking the rest of the day off.”

Mushi looked confused but there must have been something in Jet’s eyes because he nodded. “I will let Pao know you needed time off. Go relax.”

He gave him a nod and left, slamming the back door on his way out.

_______________

Smellerbee and Longshot weren’t at the apartment when he got there. They were still at work. He paced back and forth around the tiny space and tried not to give in to screaming. How could they say that? How could they just deny the existence of the war? Of the suffering of countless people? Of his suffering?

How many children had he taken in, both Earth and war children? How many had he raised as practically a child himself. No, he thought. He was a child. He _is_ a child.

He gave in and screamed.


	4. Be Somebody

He didn’t show up to work for two whole days before the guilt about being unable to provide for his makeshift family fully ate away at him and got him up and moving. There was no reason for him to be lazing around just because some people choose to live in ignorance. ‘ _But they didn’t choose_ ,’ some part of him whispers, ‘ _It’s something being enforced_.’

Mushi welcomed him back with a warm smile and Li glared at him. Pao took him aside for a quick lecture before pushing both a notepad into his hands and him back out to the front. It was back to business as usual. Back to charming the working forces on break and families stopping by for a treat. Back to watching people live blissfully away from the war.

Although, as Li showed him, it may not be as blissful as it seemed. Scars were everywhere, hidden or not. Some scars could be seen like on Li, but some were also shown in the slouch of a man’s back or the unnatural weariness of a child’s eyes.

In the way he himself hides his swords in the back of the shop.

He throws himself into working and bothering Li, who had no social skills whatsoever. It was pretty hilarious watching him fail at small talk and be oblivious to the flirting of the younger clients who came to the shop. Messing with him was a double-edged sword, though, because every time he looked into his gold eyes, he saw fire.

Li and Mushi weren’t the only people he had known with fire in them. Some of his kids had had fire, were a bastard mixture. War children. He ignored it. Told them that fire was bad and evil and didn’t deserve to exist. He told them that part of themselves didn’t deserve to exist.

Jet froze mid-dish at the sink. He told _children_ that they were partly evil. He convinced them that they deserved to die, that it was for the good of the kingdom, for the good of the world as a whole –

“Hey.” A presence at his back. Li. “You’ve been washing the same dish for five minutes. Get on with it.”

He looked up and there must have been something in his eyes, something full of misery and guilt, because Li dropped his angry indifference in turn for furrowed brows and a worried scowl.

“Are you…,” he began awkwardly, “okay?’

He wondered is Li ever hated that part of him. Or if he ever hated himself for something he did.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He flashed Li a smile. “Worried?”

Li scoffed and stomped back to the front, “As if, asshole.”

He snickered and put the dish onto the clean stack. He shouldn’t be getting distracted by the past. He was here to start new. They all were.

_______________

It was only something that occurred to him later that night. Mushi was old. And, with his pure gold eyes and hair that could only have been black once upon a time, he was most likely from the Fire Nation itself rather than the colonies. He would’ve been conscripted. He would have served. He would’ve fought the Earth Kingdom and it’s soldiers, it’s benders. He would’ve raided villages, massacred towns, burnt the very earth –

Maybe, he thought. Maybe he was even a bender. An _ash maker_. The thought has him shooting up and fumbling for his swords as silently as he could. He needed to check, he needed to make sure that they were safe, that –

“Jet?” Smellerbee. “Where’re you going?”

Longshot sat up, hair disheveled but a hand near his bow and quiver. When Jet didn’t answer, Smellerbee fumbled about for spark rocks and quickly lit a candle. The light cast onto them and Longshot’s eyes, which Jet could barely make out in the darkness, now seemed to glint gold.

Jet stumbled back. Longshot’s eyes weren’t gold. They couldn’t be. They were brown. But, he thought with growing dread, a kind of honey-brown that turned molten in the sunlight. _No, no, no._

“Long?” He croaked out. “Where were your parents from?”

Longshot stiffened the smallest amount, and his impassive face slipped a bit. His hand wrapped around his bow. It was all the confirmation Jet needed.

“How could you not tell me?” He felt as though he was choking. “Does Bee know?”

“Yes, Jet, I know,” she said, approaching him slowly with her hands raised. “He was scared to tell you. You hated the Fire Nation _so_ much.”

His eyes burned. “I wouldn’t – I wouldn’t have –,” but he doesn’t know. Would he have? If Longshot came to him and told him he had fire inside him, would he have forgiven him? Was blood, in all its unchangeability and randomness, something that could even be forgiven?

He couldn’t handle this. He couldn’t.

He grabbed his swords and bolted out the door, leaving behind the last two people in his life and their calls of his name behind him.

_______________

He camped outside of Li and Mushi’s apartment all night, on the opposite roof. He watched as nothing stirred through the window. It was dark and silent. Occasionally black shadows darted past below. Probably street rats or pygmy-pumas.

He stayed as the sun began to rise and shapes finally began to stir with it. Mushi was up first, immediately preparing a pot of tea. Li shuffled into the room soon after, bleary-eyed but alert. He looked softer in the morning, like he’s forgotten the horrors of the world and what it’s done to him.

There was no fire bending to be seen. Just Li fumbling with the spark rocks to start breakfast. They went through their morning routine before locking up and heading to work, Li visibly grumbling along the way.

Jet didn’t know what to do. Exhaustion filled his bones with lead. Smellerbee and Longshot were probably looking for him. He had to work later in the day. _‘I think_ ,’ he thought, ‘ _I’m just going to go home and sleep._ ’


	5. King

He slept all day. Smellerbee had to wake him up for his shift at the teashop. She had looked at him with intense concern etched onto her face. That’s right, he remembered, he had just run out of the apartment in the dead of the night. He smiled at her through bleary eyes. “I’m fine,” he reassured.

She didn’t look at ease. Longshot was nowhere to be seen. 

When he dragged his feet through the back door of the shop, Li looked at him with a brow raised.

“Fun night?” He asked dryly.

Jet’s tone was just as parched, “The best.”

Li threw him his apron and only years of honed reflexes to make sure he didn’t die allowed him to catch it before it hit his face. It might’ve been a trick of light, but Li looked almost disappointed when it didn’t hit him. 

_______________

Right before Li’s shift ended and at the start of Jet’s break, he was pulled aside by the boy himself. He looked…anxious. Uncomfortable. As though he expected the words he was about to hear to put cracks inside of him.

This made Jet nervous.

Li blurted it out, “Did the Fire Nation really burn down your village?”

Jet flinched and reeled backwards. What the fuck. Who just asks that?

‘ _Li’_ , he thinks with resignation. Li would ask that. He’s so socially inept it’s hard to remember that he’s, from his posture and the way he shaped his words, from some kind of aristocratic background. No wonder he was here, working in a tea shop rather than attending balls or whatever it was nobles did to avoid doing what they’re supposed to like, you know, providing for their citizens.

He at least looked slightly apologetic, as if he recognized that his phrasing could’ve been better.

Jet sighed. “Yes, they did.”

“But why?”

Jet blinked. “Because that’s what the Fire Nation does. They destroy. They saw my village and decided it wasn’t worth keeping around. My parents and sister died in the fire.”

Li looked aghast and confused. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would they just burn a random village to the ground?” The last part of the answer seemed to catch up to him. He paled. “You had a sister?”

Jet was tired. Exhausted and starting to feel a bit angry. “I had an unborn sibling.” He continued more quietly, “I wanted a little sister. So, I called her my sister.”

“I have a little sister,” Li whispered.

“Where is she?”

“Home,” Li casted his eyes away. His golden, Fire Nation eyes. Home. Back in the Fire Nation. No wonder Li was trying to excuse the behavior of the invading forces. They still meant home to him. Jet felt sick. How could someone so obviously hurt by them still have a fondness for the place?

“How did you survive?”

“My parents knew what was going to happen. They sent me into the woods with some clothes, food, and my dad’s swords. They told me to play for the day. I was so happy. I didn’t have to do chores, for once.” He laughed bitterly. “I would do chores all day, everyday for the rest of my miserable life if it would undo what happened.”

Li opened his mouth again, presumably to ask another question, but Jet interrupted him before he could. Might as well give him information without the ordeal of him asking. “I founded the Freedom Fighters. Bunch of kids who also lost their homes to the ash makers,” Li winced, “or where unlucky enough to be bastards. War children no one wanted to be reminded of.”

Jet kept going. He couldn’t help himself. Finally, someone to confess his sins to. “I flooded a village trying to kill them. I thought being dead was better than being occupied by the invaders. Someone warned them, though. They all got out in time. They worked _together_ ,” he spits, “the villagers and the Fire Nation.”

Li was staring at him. Not in fear or horror. Just trepidation and…understanding. That’s all Jet wanted. To be understood. They stood in silence for a minute and just as Jet was debating leaving, Li blurted out, “My mother loved theatre.”

Jet blinked. Okay. Did Li feel like he owed him information? That this was an exchange of some sorts?

“My sister hates dolls but loves pink. Or loved. I don’t know, I haven’t seen her in three years. Well, I did, briefly but…,” he hesitated. Continued on, “When I was thirteen, I did something. Something I thought was right,” here he looked Jet in the eyes, “but was apparently wrong. I was cast out. Exiled.” He stumbled over his words. “Only my uncle went with me.”

Once again, Jet was struck by how similar this boy was to him. Here he was, relating to someone of Fire Nation descent.

“What about your father?” Did he get his Dao swords from him, as well. Except, instead of the shy elation he had when talking about his mother, or the confliction when talking about his sister, there was a brief flash of fear and Li’s hand jerked up to touch his scar.

As soon as he realized, he pulled his hand down and schooled his face. “I failed him.”

Horror. Horror and rage so potent it nearly made him sick. His ears rang. The scar. That fucking scar that would brand Li for the rest of his life, that had branded him for years. Three years, to be exact, if that was the last time Li saw his father.

Mushi poked his head around the corner. “Jet, your break is done.” He blinked, confusion evident, “Nephew. What’re you still doing here?”

“Talking,” Li muttered. He turned on his heel and headed out the back door, ignoring his uncle’s proud beam that slowly faded as he took in Jet, still frozen.

“Are you all right?”

Jet couldn’t help his hand drifting up to his face. Mushi’s expression turned to one of understanding and shock, “He told you?”

He shook his head. “We were talking about our families.” What was left of them, anyway. “I made the connection.”

Mushi nodded. “Why don’t you take another five minutes,” he said gently.

Jet took it as gratefully as he could and his feet brought him outside, to the back of the shop. He leaned against the wall, head racing. His father. His own father.

Something wiggled away in his head. The scar looked like someone had cupped a hand to Li’s face. Only one type of person could do that. Jet bent over and dry-heaved.

Li’s father was a firebender.


	6. Cry Cry Cry

Longshot was there when he finally trudged home after what felt like an eternity of a shift. He was sitting on the floor, seemingly unmoving. The only thing that betrayed him as anxious was the barely perceptible tick of his pointer finger against the floor.

Jet sat across from him. He’d known Longshot for years. He trusted him unconditionally, along with Bee. The only two people he had left in the world. It might be selfish, but he doesn’t think he could bring himself to throw him out. Bee would probably leave with him, too. Then, he’d be alone.

He sighed. “Okay.”

They glanced at one another. “Okay?”

“I’ll – I’ll ignore it. I’ll pretend I don’t know.”

Bee chewed her lip. “Jet,” she began softly. Anxiety shot through him. Were they going to leave anyway? “Jet. This isn’t something you should ignore. This is something you should accept.” She took a deep breathe. “We’re not saying you need to – to _embrace_ it. But it’s a part of Long.”

How could he accept something like this? That Long had the blood of the people who burnt his village down, who murdered his family, his _sister_. Who left him with nothing but the hooked swords and, eventually, a brood of children to nurture and raise.

‘ _But_ ,’ some traitorous part of him whispered, ‘ _but he doesn’t have_ their _blood_. _He’s not related to them. That’s not how it works._ ’

‘ _He could be, he could be!_ ’ Another part of him screamed.

Jet took a steadying breathe. He could do this. He’s pretty much accepted Li, right? He could accept one of his closest friend’s blood. His _brother_.

“Do you love your parents?” He asked.

Longshot raised his brows in surprise. Then he nodded.

“They were good?”

He nodded, again. Smellerbee looked on, understanding slowly dawning.

“Then we’re good. Now I’m going to sleep.”

The way they relaxed, and Bee’s small sigh of relief brought him comfort but the way their hands strayed away from their weapons haunted his dreams.

_______________

The next day has Mushi shoving both Li and him out the door. “Take a day off, you two! Go explore the great city of Ba Sing Se.” With a hearty wink, he shut the door in their faces.

They gaped. Then, looked at each other with wariness. Jet had never actually interacted with Li outside of the ferry ride here and the teashop. Huh, he thought. They knew some pretty intimate details about one another for never having hung out together.

Jet shot Li a grin. “Well, I guess we better do what he says.”

Li looked at him with a longsuffering glare that made Jet bark out a laugh.

They wandered for a while, idly chatting away. Well, Jet was. Li just occasionally made noises in response.

“And that’s how I ended up being unable to sit for three days.”

Li choked. Or, Jet looked more closely, he laughed. It was hard to tell, with his hand covering his mouth. He swore, however, that he saw a grin hidden there.

They keep walking until Li suddenly stops, eyes turned away to look at something. Jet looks in the same direction. There’s a small stage with some actors wearing gaudy clothes performing.

“Let’s check it out,” he suggests.

Li hesitates but Jet just grabs him by his arm and pulls him over to the crowd. He was very warm. He must’ve been sweating under all the layers. They reach the edge of the crowd and read the sign near the front. ‘ _Love Amongst the Badgermoles’_.

Li’s eyes glinted. He opened his mouth and that’s how Jet found out that Li, pissy and awkward Li, is a theatre buff. He _never. shut. up_. The entire play! They were there for the better part of an hour and Li managed to critique the costumes, the acting, the makeup, the voices, the stances of the warriors during play-fights. He continued long after, too. Jet nodded and made noises of agreement here and there, a light feeling in his heart. This was nice.

“-where I’m from it’s called ‘ _Love Amongst the Dragons’_ and it makes much more sense-“

Wait. What?

Li stopped. Paled. His eyes darted side to side, like he was looking for a way to flee. Jet grabbed his arm and pulled him into an alley occupied only by pygmy-pumas before he could. They startled and ran away, looking much like Li, right now.

“First, calm down.” It was kind of hypocritical. Jet’s own heart was racing. His palms sweated but he didn’t want to let go of Li to wipe his hands off and risk him running. This is the confirmation he needed. He needed to know. 

“Second, I’m not going to turn you in. No matter how you answer my question.”

Li looked at him in disbelief. “How can I trust you?”

Jet took a deep, steadying breath. “You know Longshot? I’ve recently found out his parents were Fire Nation.”

Li’s eyes widened. “Really?”

He nodded. “Now, third. Are you from the Fire Nation?”

Li stood stock still. He drew himself up to his full height, but he sounded so small when he answered. “…Yes,” he whispered.

Jet closed his eyes. Opened them, again. “Do you plan on hurting the citizens of the Earth Kingdom?”

“No!” he blurted. “We’re refugees, we’re wanted by the Fire Nation. This was the only place we could go.”

“Okay. Okay. Last question.” The air around them seemed to heat a bit. Jet swallowed, dryly. He doesn’t know how he’s going to react to this answer. He promised he wouldn’t turn them in. He’s going to at least keep that promise. “Are you a firebender?”

Li, somehow, tensed even further. When he opened his mouth, sparks flickered out.

“Yes.” 


	7. Liar

Jet thought he could handle it. He really did but then Li spit sparks, in an enclosed alleyway, right in front of him. He doesn’t really remember what happened next. Just the feeling of intense terror and the way his palms scraped against the ground as he fell backwards, scrambling to get away. Everything was hazy. All he could think was ‘ _fire, fire,_ fire’, all he could see was the flames roaring taller than the trees as his village burned to ashes right in front of him, all he could feel was the little spark-like cinders burning his skin and the smoke drying his throat.

He remembered strong hands clenching his shoulders and being pulled to someone’s chest. “Breathe,” they said, “Breathe with me.” He did. He breathed and breathed. Then, he woke up at the apartment.

“What…?” He asked.

“Jet!” Bee, kneeling by his bedside. Long sat by the door, eyes dark with worry. “Are you okay? We were so worried.”

“What happened?” He rasped.

“We don’t know. Li brought you back. You were sleeping. He said you had some kind of panic attack.”

“Oh,” he says.

‘ _Oh_ ,’ he thinks.

Oh, _shit_. He sat up so quickly the blood rushed to his head and made the room spin around him. He put a hand to his head. “Li’s a firebender!”

Smellerbee gasped and Longshot tensed.

“What? Is – is that what triggered you?”

He nodded, silently.

“I asked him,” he said quietly, “and he spit sparks. Literally.”

He was so fucking embarrassed. He hadn’t reacted to fire like that since he was a child. Normally, he gets a rush of rage, so focused it sharpens his vision. Normally, he fights. He doesn’t cower. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed. His eyes hurt.

“Did I really cry?”

“I think so.”

Jet groaned and lied back down. A hand touched his back gently.

“You know it’s okay, right? We’d never judge you for something like this. It happens, especially in war.” The last part is whispered.

“I’m supposed to be strong,” it’s muffled by the pillow, “for everyone.”

“Even the strongest people cry, Jet.”

He grunted. He thought about skipping work tomorrow, but they needed the money if they were ever going to get out of the Lower Ring. Except, he really, really didn’t want to see Li.

_______________

He ended up going to work. No matter how much he complained and grumbled and groaned, he still dragged himself to work. Li, of course, was the first face he saw when he walked in. He turned what he imagined was beet red, shame coursing through him, and walked back out. Mushi poked his head out the door.

“Are you working today, Jet?”

“Yes,” he cleared his throat, “Just…needed some air.”

Mushi looked at him with a twinkle in his eye. “Of course, of course.”

Jet does some deep breathing and tried to reassure himself. It’s Li. Li was kind of dumb, no offence. Li won’t care.

‘ _Especially now that you know his secret,_ ’ a voice whispered in his head.

So, he went back in and got to work.

_______________

It’s when there’s a lull in the rush that it happened. Li approached him. Jet tried to pretend to be busy, but he could sweep the same spot only so many times.

“Hey.”

Jet shot him a weak grin, “What’s up?”

Li hesitated. Moved a bit closer. Blurted out, “I’ve had them, too.”

Jet blinked, “What?”

Li looked around, lowered his head, and whispered, “Panic attacks.”

He reeled back, stunned. Really? _Li’s_ had panic attacks. “Over what?”

He sighed. “After I first got my scar, I was afraid of fire. For a while. It was bad. I couldn’t even…,” he made an aborted gesture, “you know.”

Jet nodded. His mind was turning too fast for him to keep up with, but he mostly felt relief. He wasn’t alone.

“That’s how I knew what to do. My uncle used to do it with me.”

Li backed away, nervous and looking more exposed than he expected, “That’s all I wanted to say.”

“Li!” He froze. “Thank you.”

Li gave him what might pass as a small smile and nodded at him.

_______________

For the rest of the day, he thought about that smile and how it made him feel. Warm. Light. Like he’d been given something precious to protect. It reminded him of how he felt – feels, about his kids. At least, when they had been his kids. The thought put a damper on his mood, but he still went home light-hearted and feeling better than he had in the morning.

Plus, Mushi had received good news. There was someone who was willing to sponsor him to make his own tea shop in the Upper Ring. The _Upper Ring_. Mushi was elated and had immediately offered everyone a job in the new shop. Pao immediately denied it, siting his shop as better. Jet accepted, of course. He wasn’t gonna turn down the Upper Ring. Bee and Long would kill him.

Mostly Bee, if he was being honest. Long…Long would shoulder the disappointment without letting anybody know. Finding out he was of fire descent hadn’t changed anything between them like he had initially thought it would. It was a relief.

‘ _Maybe_ ,’ he thought, ‘ _maybe the Fire Nation had people who were just like him and Long and Li._ ’ Maybe they weren’t all bad. He’d need more proof, though. There was still something angry and violent about firebending. He still didn’t want to be around it or the color red, but he was willing to try.


	8. Dream

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows; he discovered about a week later. He had a nightmare. A pretty bad one, too, that woke up Bee and Long with his screaming. Over and over, he saw his parents melting in the flames, his sister, or at least how imagined her, burning alongside them, and his hooked swords melting into nothing. Leaving him with nothing.

Work just made his mood worsen. How could he be cheerful, even act it, when everyday was one more day in the way? How could he just forget about it? How could the citizens of Ba Sing Se not acknowledge it? He was irritable by the time his break came around. The cooing ladies and giggling teens made him grind his teeth.

He leaned against one of the counters in the back with a relieved sigh, holding a cup of jasmine tea to his lips. He idly watched Li and Mushi putter around the kitchen. It was then that he noticed something. Mushi was humming, waving a hand in time to the rhythm. Up, down, up down. Jet’s eyes, however, were drawn to the flames as they moved. Up, down, up, down.

He loosened his grip on his teacup and some of it spilled onto his apron. “Shit!”

“Everything alright, Jet?” Mushi smiled at him.

“Yeah.” He muttered. Not actually, not really. The flames unnerved him, how easily they were being controlled. Bent. That must’ve been what made him ask, “You served in the war, right?”

Mushi’s face blanked for a split second but in that second, Jet saw something of the soldier he must’ve been. Hard, controlled. Then, his smile was plastered back on. Smaller, though. More strained. “Yes. For most of my life I served, up until my son died in the war.”

His son. Mushi had had a son. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It is all right. Unfortunately, it was his death that made me realize what was wrong and what was right. Sometimes, tragedy forces us to.”

For his age, he must’ve been pretty high up in rank. But how high? How high until Jet couldn’t consider it acceptable anymore? ‘ _I suppose,_ ’ he thought, ‘ _I’m about to find out.’_

“What rank were you?”

A deep sigh. “General.”

His mind blanked. General. _General_. A goddamn _General_. The teacup fell completely out of his grasp and it felt like the floor went with it. The ceramic shattered. “I – I need to go.” He chucked his apron off.

Li came around the corner and noticed the tension in the air. He looked warily between them. “What’s going on?”

Jet just shook his head. His lips were numb. His ears rang and he stumbled out of the shop as Mushi quietly explained to Li. Then, Pao came out of the office in time to catch him leaving.

“That’s it, if you’re going to keep doing this then you’re fired!”

_______________

Jet sulks for the next two days. Smellerbee wakes him up for meals and to let him know that they’re going to work but other than that all he does is stare at the wall and sleep. Mushi and Li, he realized, probably weren’t even their real names. Who in the four nations would name their son _Mushi_?

He tried not to consider it a betrayal. It made sense that they wouldn’t use their real names, especially since Mushi was a general. He hasn’t known them very long and he still freaks out at the sight of firebending. He still hates the Fire Nation and all that it’s stood for.

He sighed and turned over in his bed. He supposed he should talk to them. Mushi at least. He groaned but got up and headed out of the door.

_______________

When he knocked on the door, nobody answered. Nobody answered when he kept knocking either, even though both Li and Mushi should be off from work. He debated for a moment and then tried the knob. It was open. He shrugged and went in. If they really didn’t want people to wander in, they would lock the door.

The place was surprisingly quaint. He knew that from the little he saw during his stakeout, but it was different, actually being inside. Plants hung from everywhere and pillows seemed to be on every surface. It was warm. Literally, too.

‘ _Right_ ,’ he thought, ‘ _firebenders_.’

Anxiety made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He shouldn’t think of that. He wouldn’t.

He peeked into one of the rooms and grinned. There was Li, sitting on his bed, looking at something.

“Whatchu got there, Li?”

Li jumped up and reached for a sword. “Spirits! You can’t just barge into people’s apartments!”

Li plopped back down and sighed. Jet sat next to him and swiped the paper off of the floor from where Li dropped it.

“Missing: Bison.” He froze. He looked up at Li. “The Avatar is in town?”

Li nodded mutely.

Jet leaned back on his hands. “Damn.” He laughed dryly. “Did I ever tell you I know the Avatar?”

Li’s head shot up; unmarred eye wide. “What?” He breathed.

Jet nodded. “Remember that village I flooded? Well, they were the ones who warned the villagers. They saved them.” The ‘ _saved me_ ’ goes unmentioned. If the plan had gone the way he wanted it to, he would have been fully unredeemable.

Li chewed his lip, brow scrunched in thought. Then, he took a deep breathe. “I know them, too. Their group, I mean.”

“Oh?”

His lips pursed. “Remember how I was banished?” At his nod, he continued, “They gave me a condition. Just do this one thing and then I can return home. Capture the Avatar.”

Jet tensed, worried. Then, he did some math. He was exiled when he was thirteen. The Avatar didn’t resurface until the past year. Li…Li wasn’t meant to return. They didn’t _want_ him to come back.

He tried to approach this gently. “Is it really your home, anymore?”

“Of course it is!” Li snapped. “Wasn’t the village your home?”

“It was. But not anymore. My home is with Smellerbee and Longshot.”

Li looked taken aback.

Jet continued, “Home isn’t just the place you grew up in. Some people aren’t lucky enough to stay in one place or to have a place at all. Home is the people you surround yourself with. Your uncle, he’s been with you all this time, right?”

Li nodded. He went quiet for a long minute before Jet interrupted. “Let’s go for a walk. Get some air.” He got up and held out his hand.

Li hesitated. Looked into Jet’s eyes, searching for something. For what, Jet didn’t know. All that mattered was Li, as he took his hand.


	9. Marble Floors

It’s quiet as they walk the streets of Ba Sing Se, the sun slowly setting around them. It cast dim shadows everywhere.

Jet coughed. “So, you said you have a sister, right? What’s she like?”

“She’s perfect,” Li blurts, “but she hates me.”

He furrowed his brows. “Why? You’re her brother.”

“It’s because I’m the firstborn. She thinks she should be the heir. I agree with her.” Before Jet could get a word in, Li continued, “She’s a prodigy at bending. Father loves her. I didn’t bend till I was seven years old. She started when she was three.”

Jet stared at him. Spirits. There was a lot to unpack there. One thing sticks out, though. ‘Father loves her.’ Not ‘us’. If this was the same father that melted half of his son’s face off, permanently blinding one eye and rendering one ear useless, then his love couldn’t result in anything good. She was probably as twisted as him. Yet it was clear that Li loved his sister, even as he claimed she hated him.

“She tried to kill uncle recently.”

“What?” Jet squeaked. She _what_? What was _wrong_ with her? He cleared his throat. “How about Jin?”

“Who?”

“The girl who’s been staring at you for like two weeks. I think she’s gonna ask you out, soon.”

Li looked at the ground and mumbled something.

“What?”

He mumbled again.

“Li, I can’t hear you.”

“I said I DON’T LIKE PEOPLE!” He shouted. The few people on the street turned to look at them and Jet hurriedly pulled Li farther down the street, waving as he passed people.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m not really into people…like that.”

“So, you’re ace?”

Li blew his bangs out of his eyes. “Yeah, if that’s the word.”

“Well, I like men _and_ women.” Jet declared.

“Is there a word for it?”

“Bi.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah.”

“We don’t really talk about…,” Li struggled, “that stuff where I’m from.”

“Sexualities?”

He nodded. Jet nodded in understanding, although he didn’t really understand. How could you just not talk about sexualities? It was nature!

They continued the walk in companionable silence. Jet was just getting ready to suggest they turn around when he spotted something he hadn’t seen in months – the color blue.

“Katara?”

Li froze besides him. Jet took off at a jog, “Katara!”

She turned to look back at him, her face confused. “Jet?” Then, it quickly shifted to anger, “Jet!” She lifted water out of the fountain and whipped it at him.

“Wait! I’ve changed!”

“Likely story!”

He grunts as she slammed him against a nearby wall and froze him to it. The chill seeped into his body. His teeth chattered as she approached.

“I-I have changed. I’m in B-Ba Sing Se to start over with B-Bee and Long.”

“What proof do you have?”

He stared at her, aghast. Proof? What kind of fucking proof could he get? “I have a job,” he blurted. Then realized his error, “Wait, no. I got fired.”

“Of course you did,” she sneered.

His eyes narrowed. She didn’t have to be mean. “Have you ever even had a job? Especially in customer service?”

“Shut up. I’m helping Aang.”

“Look can you just let me down. I can’t feel my fingers.”

She sighed, anger evaporating like the water she melted and then tossed back into the fountain.

“I was just walking with a friend when I saw you.”

“Oh yeah? Where are they, then?”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. He lost Li. From what he gathered; Li had no sense of direction. He could be anywhere. He looked around, spinning in a circle. Mushi was going to kill him if he lost his nephew. Oh Spirits, he lost an ex-general’s nephew. He shivered with genuine fear.

Then, he remembered it was probably better. Li said he’d met the group, right? Probably during unpleasant circumstances. Besides, firebenders and waterbenders don’t mix. That’s just logic.

“Jet?”

He shot her a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his neck, “I seem to have lost him. You probably scared him off.”

She scoffed. “Likely story.”

She looked beautiful, even as unimpressed as she was. She’d grown in the few months apart. The silence between them grew, until it became awkward.

“Longshot is Fire Nation!” He blurted.

She’s taken aback. “What?”

“I found out recently. So, I’m…ya know, doing better with the Fire Nation stuff. And my friend – he’s a refugee from the Fire Nation. You might like him.” Then he thought about Katara’s stubbornness meeting Li’s pissy attitude. “Actually, never mind. You probably wouldn’t.”

He backed up and turned away as she kept a wary eye on him. “Anyway, I gotta go find him, so…”

“Wait!”

He looked back.

“This Fire Nation person…do you trust him?”

‘ _Yes’_ , Jet thinks. Huh. He does trust him. Li still has his secrets but he’s awkward and means well. He’d seen Jet at his almost worst. They know about each other’s families. Jet knows his favorite color is dark blue because always drank out of the same cup at work. He knows he’s a firebender who loved theatre. Li almost certainly knows the same things about him.

“Yes,” Jet smiled, “I do.”


	10. Beautiful Crime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Quick question - should this turn into a Jetko fic? Let me know in the comments!

Jet peeked behind building after building but could not for the love of him find Li. It was like he disappeared into the shadows. A spirit story in the making. He peered into a particularly dark alleyway but saw nothing.

“Is she gone?”

Jet jumped. “Spirits! Is this payback for earlier? Yeah, she’s gone.”

The smug silence answered for him and Li slid out of the shadows. “Good,” he said, “she wouldn’t want to see me.”

“Bad history?” Jet teased as lightly as he could. He _had_ to tread lightly ‘cause he wasn’t exactly sure of the history between Li and the group besides that it wasn’t good. Couldn’t really be as bad as his history with them, he mused. And, hey, he seems to be on the way to forgiveness.

“You could say that.” He looked troubled. “I’ve…I’ve been less than kind to her. To them, but mostly her.”

“Cheers to that.”

_______________

Li hesitated before heading inside. Jet lingered. It seemed like he wanted to say something and the least he could do was listen. However, instead of something heartfelt or mortifying, Li blurted out, “Do you want to liberate a bison with me?”

Jet’s eyes widened. “Yes,” he answered immediately. “Yes, but how do you know where he is?”

“I don’t,” he said lowly, “but the Dai Li probably do.”

They exchanged glances, Li’s eyes glinting with a strange, excited light. He jogged inside where Jet could hear a muffled conversation going on.

“I’m going out tonight.”

“Have fun!”

Li came back out with his swords and a blue mask. When he put it on, Jet recognized it immediately. “Holy shit, you’re the Blue Spirit.”

“Is that what they’re calling me?”

“You’re a legend. How the hell did you break into the stronghold?”

“Skills. You know, this mask is actually from ‘ _Love Amongst the Dragons’_ and –“

_______________

Up until the point they captured and interrogated an agent, Li rambled on about theatre. It was surprisingly endearing when Jet thought it would be annoying. This must be what friendship feels like, he thought. He had friends, yeah, but those people, those kids, were also his responsibility. Even with Bee and Long, he tended to be more of a leader than a friend.

The elated feeling didn’t go away, even as they began exploring the dark caverns of Lake Laogai. Li kept silent here, but they didn’t need words to communicate. They moved seamlessly together, darting around corners and tucking tightly against the wall when an agent passed.

They explored what must have been a good portion of the night until finally, _finally_ , they found the bison – chained and matted with blood and dirt.

“Hey, buddy,” he whispered. The bison – Appa, he thinks, snuffed at him warily before allowing him to approach. It was Li, however, that he reared back from.

Li winced. “Sorry. I know. But we’re here to get you out, alright?”

Appa shuffled a bit before huffing and shifting closer. Li leaned towards Jet. “I need you to distract him,” he said, “I’m going to use firebending to break the chains. I don’t think he likes fire very much.” The ‘ _distract you’_ went unsaid.

The last time Li firebent in front of him, Jet had a panic attack. He steeled himself and placed himself in front of Appa’s face, two hands on either side of Appa’s nose. He closed his eyes and began talking and tried not to flinch at the sudden heat erupting from the side of him.

He talked about living in the forest with his kids, how he both loved and hated the way the trees turned scarlet in autumn, how holding a child – one who’s lost so much to war – made him feel, all warm and sad and adored. He spoke of the journey here, to Ba Sing Se, and the stilted silences between Bee, Long, and him. He mourned how everybody left him because he made a mistake – a terrible one, one that almost cost lives.

“I understand why they left. I really do, but it fucking hurts. You must be lonely, too. The last bison in the whole world.”

Appa snuffed at him. Jet noticed the heat had stopped and he opened his eyes, blinking away any wetness. There was movement next to him.

“Jet,” Li began softly.

“Don’t. I’m okay.” He was, now at least. He had Bee and Long still. Things were better. He had Li, who was now one of his whether he knew it or not.

“Let’s get him out of here.”

They work on moving the chains away when, out of nowhere, a voice carried across the cavern.

“Nephew.”

Li stood up, shock straightening the lines of his body. “Uncle? How-“

Kind, bumbling Mushi interrupted him with a steely glare. “What exactly do you plan on doing with that bison?”

Jet sidled up to Li’s side, confused. They were freeing him, what else would they be doing?

“I’m just –“

“Is this another plan of yours? To capture the Avatar?”

What? Then, Jet remembered. Li had to capture the Avatar if he ever wanted to return home. He had to bring him back in chains. Was that what this was? A form of blackmail? He turned to Li, angry and wanting to be corrected. For him to correct his uncle.

He watched Li grit his teeth and glance at Jet. The slightest amount of indecision leaked onto his face, making Jet doubt everything. But then, Li stood tall.

“No, uncle. I’m setting the bison free.”

Mushi searched his nephew’s face for a long moment before beaming a proud smile. “That’s wonderful. You’ve grown so much.” He turned his gaze to Jet, who was practically exuding relief. “I imagine young Jet here has had much to do with it.” Jet gave him a nod. “Now, let’s get this poor creature out of here.”

They get to work. Eventually, above the lake, they watch Appa soar through the skies. Now, the Avatar could leave Ba Sing Se. Jet looked at his friend. He could leave Li’s life, forever.


	11. Forest Fire

It was the opening day of the Jasmine Dragon and everything was going good. The tea shop was set up and glistening, patrons were lining up outside, and Jet was the most peaceful he’d been in a long time. Of course, not everything was perfect. There was still a war going on, something his revolutionary heart couldn’t completely ignore, and sometimes he found himself listing, staring into space and seeing fire lick at the corner of his vision until Li would knock into him.

He was quickly sent to grab something or another from one of the shops down the street; apparently, they were already out of stuff. He grinned. Good. He’d leave Li to all the customers. He doesn’t know who was getting the worst of it: the customers or Li.

He walked a leisurely pace back to the hop, enjoying the sunlight and warm, free air. Then, he bumped into something blue.

“Jet?”

“Katara! Hey,” he grinned. She especially nice today. Nothing was different so maybe it was just the light or his good mood. “What’re you doing out here?”

She shrugged, “Thinking of a cup of tea.”

He brightened. “That’s perfect. Say, I work at this new shop that just opened up, why don’t you stop by? That way you can meet Li, the you-know…”, he made an aborted motion with his hands that was supposed to represent bending.

Her eyes briefly darkened to storm clouds hovering above the ocean before lightening again. “Sure,” she said gently, “I’d love to meet him.”

They chatted idly the rest of the walk until they reached the shop. Jet brought her around to the back, to avoid the customers. He’d pull Li away when he could, he thought. But, as they walked in, they got lucky. Li was already in the back, leaning against the counter and sipping at a cup of tea. His hair was a mess, and he had a frazzled expression on his face. His eye blew wide as they walked in.

“Hey, Li-“

“ _You_.” Katara pushed past him and swung her arm out, bending all the available water in the room into a whip.

Li dropped his tea onto the counter, spilling it everywhere, “Shit! Shit, shit.”

“What do you think you’re doing here? You’re not getting Aang.”

Li raised his hands in a placating manner but Katara evidently took it as a threat and swung the whip. It slashed into the wall and would’ve cut Li’s throat if Jet hadn’t of pushed her slightly. As is, it only caught a part of his arm.

“Listen, I know you’ve had bad history, but you can’t just attack him!”

“Do you even know who he really is, Jet?!”

Jet hesitated. He knew their names were fake but he had been waiting for Li to fully trust him, to tell him himself. He didn’t want to pressure him or anything, with how skittish he is. Like a pygmy-puma, startled and ready to attack at the slightest thing.

Li tried to plead with her, “Katara, please don’t. I’m not here for the Avatar, I swear-“

But his pleading only made her angrier. She raised a second whip and he formed what looked like daggers made out of flames. Jet flinched. Li noticed, by the way he winced, and put them out immediately. Katara watched the exchange with cold eyes.

“He’s the prince of the Fire Nation.”

First, Jet laughed. It seemed so specifically absurd that he couldn’t believe it. Then, he noticed the silence. It was deafening. Li wasn’t denying it. Why wasn’t Li denying it?

He looked at Li, straight-backed, pale-faced Li with his aristocratic bearing and molten gold eyes, eyes unlike any he’s ever seen on any firebender. Li, with his disfigurements and shame, his fearful and panicked expression.

Is this what heartbreak felt like? Like lightning, through his entire being.

He must not have looked okay because Katara lowered her whip, “Jet? Are you okay?”

Jet tried to speak. Nothing came out. He tried again, clearing his throat. “It’s true.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. One that Li – Zuko still wasn’t denying. “How could you? You _lied_ to me.”

Li reached a hand out to him and Jet flinched away. Firebender’s hands he was just getting used to, prince’s hands he would never be able to get used to. “Jet, please. I only lied about that _one_ thing – everything else is true. I’m sorry.”

Jet shook his head. He trusted him. He _trusted_ him.

“Jet, we need to grab him. We need to bring him to the king.”

“We can’t,” he mumbled, “his uncle is here.”

His uncle. The Dragon of the West. It has to be, right? The Fire Lord’s older brother. Spirits, he couldn’t believe he was in Ba Sing Se.

Katara hissed. “Fine. I’ll just go directly to the king, myself.” She turned and stormed away, slamming the door on her way out.

Jet didn’t move to follow her. He felt like he couldn’t move at all. Zuko, his name was _Zuko_ , didn’t move either. Their eyes were locked onto each other. The chatter from the front of the shop faded away to a ringing in his ears.

Mushi – Iroh, barged into the back, a beaming smile on his face. This jolly old man besieged Ba Sing Se for over six hundred days. He took in the tense atmosphere, smile fading.

“Is everything okay?”

“No,” Zuko said quietly, “He knows.”

Iroh’s face took on a grave expression. “I see.”

Did he see, Jet thought wildly, did he really? ‘Cause Jet could barely process anything right now.

“How do you feel about that, Jet?”

How did he feel _? How did he feel_? He felt pretty shitty, if he was being honest. He felt like he was choking on smoke, like he was being set on fire from the inside out, like his best friend just turned out to be the fucking prince of the very nation that tore down Jet’s life and stepped on the ashes.

Iroh sighed at the lack of response. “Why don’t we sit down for some tea. I’ll close early.”


	12. We Have It All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...um...I updated the tags. You might want to check them out.

They sat at the low table in the apartment upstairs, each on separate sides. Jet stared down at his cold cup of tea blankly. Zuko twitched near him while Iroh sipped calmly at his tea. It was silent.

At least until Zuko finally couldn’t contain it anymore and burst out, “Are we going to talk or not?!”

Jet was suddenly invigorated. “What’s there to talk about,” he snarled. “You’re from the family that’s responsible for this entire fucking war. That means _you’re_ responsible.”

Iroh looked at him disapprovingly. “I may have committed crimes I can never fully atone for, but my nephew is innocent. If your father was a criminal, that does not make you a criminal, does it?”

Jet flushed, with both embarrassment and anger. He was right but who was _he_ to tell him what was right and what was wrong? This man had committed who knows how many war crimes, yet he got to sit there, calmly drinking his tea while people _died_. Villages burned, people taken prisoner, and children orphaned. _He_ was orphaned.

“Jet, look,” Zuko said, “I’m sorry, okay? There was no other way to hide who we were but by lying. I never expected to-,” here he floundered, “-to get close to someone.”

“How could you not expect that? Of course you’d make friends, it’s only natural.” Jet snapped.

Zuko burst, “Well, I’ve never exactly had friends before!”

Silence. Jet was left dumbfounded by the reply. Zuko was a prince, right? He must have had plenty of people who were impressed by him and wanted to get close to him.

Maybe, he thought, that was it. It was just people who wanted to use him. Not actual friends.

“What about your sister?”

“She’d just torment me.”

Iroh sighed. “Boys, I am sorry to say that this discussion must be postponed to a later time. We have places to be.”

They looked at him in confusion. What could possibly be more important than the undercover identities of two royals?

He continued, “We have received an invitation to serve tea to the Earth King.”

Zuko gaped. “The shop was only open for half a day!”

Iroh beamed, “Word spread far. We are expected within the hour.”

“I’m coming with you,” Jet said. He still couldn’t trust them. Who knew what they’d do while being that close to the king? Maybe this had been their plan all along, working their way up through the rings of Ba Sing Se right to the Earth King’s door just to poison him with some tea.

As soon as Jet thought it, he knew it was ridiculous. He’d been with them since the ferry ride over. He watched them struggle and come home exhausted night after night, watched Zuko get harassed by an endless amount of customers and pointed at because of his scar, and Iroh’s excitement at opening his own tea shop.

He knew what a shit liar Zuko was. But he didn’t want to think about that. That Zuko couldn’t lie. Because that’d mean he was right and that they were just refugees, that this betrayal going to happen anyway, eventually. Or worse, that Zuko never intended to tell him. Would that be worse? Maybe it’d be better. There wouldn’t be an ache in his chest if Katara had never told him.

_______________

That’s how Jet found himself dressed to impress, walking through the halls of the palace, Zuko and Iroh on either side of him. It was uncomfortable, being flanked in by two firebenders like this but he refused to let that discomfort show.

Zuko seemed to know anyway, going by the way he stepped slightly away.

They were finally, _finally_ , led to a set of doors twice as tall as they were. Jet felt a sliver of unease slither up his spine. Something was wrong. Zuko tensed next to him and, when Jet looked over, Iroh’s eye were narrowed but the smile never dropped from his face. The doors opened and they were led in.

Immediately they were surrounded in the back by Dai Li agents. There were three thrones set up at the front of the room, each with a teenage girl on it. The one in the middle smirked.

“I never thought you two would become so low as to work in a tea shop yet here we are.”

“Azula,” Zuko hissed.

“And Mai,” she gestured to the apathetic looking girl on the right, “and Ty Lee,” she gestured again to the bubbly girl on the left.

“Hi, Zuko!” She chirped.

Jet jabbed Zuko in the side, “Who is she?” He whispered.

“My sister.”

Oh. Well, shit. From what he’s heard, Zuko’s sister is a menace and not the adorable kind. Who the hell tries to kill their own uncle?

She had the same coloring as Zuko but looked opposite in every other way. Pristine, sleek, and put-together compared to her brother’s marred, messy, and turmoil-filled form.

“Who’s this, Zuzu? He’s cute.” She eyed him with delight. Like he was a toy to be played with.

Her eyes, he noticed, weren’t as gold as Zuko’s. They were a tinge darker.

“Nobody,” Zuko answered quickly, “he just works with us.”

She laughed, “Oh, Zuzu. Still haven’t learned how to lie? How very unroyal-like of you. No wonder you fit in with the peasants.”

“My name’s Jet and sorry I’m off the market right now.”

She stopped laughing and took him in with a predatory gleam in her eyes. “Sit,” she ordered, “serve us some tea.”

They were forced to the cushions on the floor. Comfy. Very befitting of the royal palace.

“After this, you will be taken back to the capitol to be tried for treason. Father will delight in seeing you in chains. Almost as much as I do.”

This, he thought, was not how siblings were supposed to act. This was wrong. What kind of environment did she grow up in, to turn out like this? Was this the result of being the supposed “favored child”?

“Niece,” Iroh began, “Do you know how I earned my title Dragon of the West?” He took a long sip of his tea. Zuko smirked next to him.

“Uncle,” she mocked, “I don’t want to hear any of your anecdotes.”

“It’s more of a demonstration, really.” With that he shot up, breathing fire. Zuko pulled Jet down next to him, letting Jet feel the unnatural warmth of his body, as Iroh spun around the room.

“Run!” He shouted.

They took off.

Jet thought they’d make it, he really did, but suddenly, Zuko stopped behind him.

“No,” he said firmly, “I’m tired of running. Today’s the day I face her, once and for all.”

“Nephew, no!” But it was too late. Zuko took off back the way they came.

Jet let out a groan of frustration. Normally, his stubbornness and idiocy were endearing but right now of all times? He wanted to hit something. Preferably a firebender.

“I’ll get him,” he reassured Iroh, “Go on ahead.”

Iroh nodded and escaped.

Jet dashed towards the sounds of struggle, just in time to see the Dai Li open a hole in the floor and drop Zuko down in it. “Shit,” he said, and dived down the hole with him.


	13. Revolver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I took some liberties with some of the events here, so it's not exactly canon-compliant. I also highly recommend listening to the corresponding song in the playlist posted in the first chapter. :)

He landed roughly but was able to stick with it by tucking and rolling. Years of swinging from tall trees left him no stranger to falling. From the way Zuko was sprawled on the ground, coughing, he wasn’t so lucky.

The hole above them sealed, leaving them only with the light of the green crystals. He approached Zuko, nudging him with his foot. “Get up. A prince can’t take a little fall?”

“Shut up,” he wheezed. “I wasn’t exactly expecting to be thrown into a hole.” He gets up, anyway. , stumbling to his feet. Jet almost, _almost_ , reaches out to stead him but pulls his hands back before he could. Right now, Zuko didn’t deserve his help.

“Why’d you come after me?”

He doesn’t know. It was a split second decision. He could’ve turned around and escaped to safety, found Bee and Long and then hightailed it out of here. Instead, he ran back to a fight he couldn’t even fight in because he didn’t have his swords for a boy who lied to him about who he was.

“To stop you from doing anything stupid, but look how that turned out.”

Zuko glared at him and he shrugged. It was true.

Jet wanders around for a couple minutes and Zuko finds him. They turn corners and run into dead ends until, finally, Jet heard something. It sounded like crying. He rounded another corner and stopped short.

“Katara?”

Her head shot up, whip at the ready. It dropped when she took in Jet but raised again when she saw Zuko behind him. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“Well,” Zuko began sarcastically, “I assume it’s you who I have to thank for letting my sister know I was here and getting me thrown underground. Thanks.”

Jet snorted. He couldn’t help it. Zuko looked at him with a spark in his eyes and Jet quickly turned away.

“Azula got us,” he said. “Zuko here decided to one-on-one her and lost. Immediately.”

“Shut up,” Zuko hissed. He punched Jet in the arm and Jet snickered but stopped when he noticed Katara looking at them strangely. Right. Zuko was supposed to be the enemy. But was he, really? He obviously wasn’t wanted by the Fire Nation if he was going to be brought in for treason. Treason, which means he must have done something _in favor_ of their side of the war. In favor of the Earth Kingdom.

“Listen, Katara,” Zuko began. Katara narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ve seen the atrocities the Fire Nation has committed during the war. I know it’s wrong, I’ve learned that.”

“Have you?” She asked. “Do you even know what the war has cost me, personally? I lost my _mother_.” She turned around, a hand at her neck, touching her necklace.

Silence. Then, Zuko, softly, “That’s something we have in common.”

Jet looked at him, stunned. He doesn’t know why he’s so shocked. He knew already, from the past tense Zuko used, that his mother wasn’t around anymore. Maybe it was because he hadn’t expected the war to be involved. Maybe it was because Zuko was sharing it so freely with someone who hated him, while Jet had to work, had to build trust, had to _earn_ this. He was jealous.

Katara turned back around with a gentle look on her face. “I’m sorry.”

Zuko shook his head, “It’s fine.”

It wasn’t. Jet could see it in the way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides that it wasn’t. Unbidden, he nudged him. “We should work on a way out of here.”

They look for several minutes. Jet used the time to think. The Fire Lord was crazy. Azula was crazy. Iroh was old and Zuko was banished. But, he thought, if they take out the Fire Lord, they can put a new one on the throne. One who’s witnessed the effects of the war up-close, who’s been personally affected by it, and who isn’t power hungry. Someone who loved his people and wanted to do good by it. Someone like, he turned to look at Zuko, him.

Zuko noticed his staring. “What?”

Jet shook his head, “We’ll talk later.”

He nodded. They grouped together.

“Anyone find anything?”

Nothing. Right before he could despair, however, a rumbling noise came from one of the walls. “Get ready,” he said.

Katara lifted the water around her and Zuko’s hands lit up. He focused on the potential fight, instead of the fire. In front of them, the wall crumbled to bits of dirt and rock. Iroh stepped out, followed by Aang, Toph, Bee, and Long.

“What?” Jet blurted.

“Nephew! Jet!”

“Katara!”

“Jet!”

“Guys,” he said in relief. Bee tossed him his hooked swords and he relished in the feel of them.

“We ran into Iroh while looking for you,” she said, “He explained what was going on. We came to help.”

“And I,” exclaimed Iroh, “ran into the young Avatar and his earthbending master.”

Iroh rushed to Zuko and enveloped him into a hug. Katara did the same with Aang while Long and Bee grouped around Jet. He clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. “You did good,” he smiled. Bee beamed up at him and Long’s lips twitched.

However, a rumbling overhead stopped the celebration. They all readied up. Jet was itching for a fight from the long period of inactivity in Ba Sing Se. He almost couldn’t wait.

_______________

He decided, mid-battle, that he most definitely could wait. He forgot how miserable fights were after the initial rush. Sure, ambushing a camp of Fire Nation soldiers was fun, because they had the surprise value going for them. Fighting both a firebender and earthbenders, underground and as far away from trees as you could possibly be? Miserable. Absolutely miserable. Killing the Dai Li was almost, almost, satisfying but he hated the way their eyes went blank when they died.

Still, he ignored it. He went on to the next fight. Eventually, he found himself back to back with Zuko, defending him from the Dai Li as he fought Azula with Aang and Katara. They were winning, he thought with satisfaction. He chanced a glance behind him and got a good look at Zuko’s face. Sweat-slicked and highlighted by fire. He looked like he was meant for battle.

That’s when things went wrong.

Two things happened, he thought. He wasn’t sure because of the sudden, blinding pain in his chest and the impact of something that sent him to the ground. He blacked out briefly, but he swore he heard the strike of lightning and Katara screaming. He needed to get up. He needed to keep fighting. Why couldn’t he get up?

All he could feel was pain. He slipped in and out of consciousness. He’d open his eyes and get glimpses of the battle, of Aang falling and Katara catching him, of Iroh roaring fire, of Zuko running towards him, terror stark on his face. Why was he so afraid?

“Jet!” Bee. Someone screaming. He needed to help. Something touched his chest and he the pain made his vision go white. _He_ was screaming.

Zuko fell to his knees besides him. “Come on, Jet, stay with me.” He turned away, “Katara!” Jet felt his head flop in that direction. Katara was crying, trying to heal Aang. “Shit!”

Zuko cradled Jet’s face in his palms. “Listen, you need to stay awake, okay? Think of Smellerbee and Longshot. Think of how angry you are at me, right now. We still need to work things out, right?” His eyes were glistening.

‘ _Pretty_ ,’ Jet thought. His vision went grey. Something hit him on his head and his eyes focused again.

“Jet, _please_.”

We’re kids, he realized. We’re kids and he was dying. That’s what this was. Life flashed before him and it was just war, war, war.

Wait. No.

He thought of the sight of his mother’s pregnant stomach, the feel of his father guiding him through forms with his swords. He thought of his kids, laughing and playing in the trees. He thought of Bee and Long, crying above him. He thought of Zuko and the warmth he brought him, however briefly.

‘Oh’, he thought. ‘So, this is love.’

It took all of his strength to lift a hand up to grab at Zuko. “Listen,” he rasped, “you…you need to do something for me…” He coughed, a painful thing that sent vibrations all through his chest.

Zuko might’ve been gripping his hand. He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t feel his extremities anymore. He twitched his lips up into a smile, “Become Fire Lord. For me, okay?”

Bee sobbed and Zuko choked on something. Jet stared up at the ceiling. He wasn’t meant to be a soldier, much less a child one. He’s glad, though, that he got to experience some warmth in his short life. The world swam in front of his eyes and he closed them, so they wouldn’t have to.

It was the least he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a sequel, possibly a one-shot of Zuko dealing with the grief of Jet’s death. Keep your eyes peeled for ‘Beacon’.


End file.
